Thunderbolt Docking Stations

[John Ratsey]

I've been looking at Thunderbolt docking stations as I wanted something I could connect to an LG Gram 17 which would both provide power for the notebook and be the connection point for fixed accessories. I had still been considering my options when I came across a new Lindy Thunderbolt 3 dock on ebay for £50. With two Thunderbolt ports (up and down) plus five USB-A ports it fulfilled my key requirements so I pulled the trigger. The 130W PSU is a brick that's much heavier than than the docking station but the rest is OK. There seems to be a performance loss through the device as the sequential speed of a Crucial X6 external SSD which is about 700MB/s when connected directly to the notebook drops to about 500MB/s when connected through the docking station. I don't know enough about these devices to know if this is normal but it's OK for my needs and, if nothing else, will provide useful modestly priced experience to guide future investment on something better.

 

I'm also using one of these magnetic connectors to act as a port saver. Many are good for USB-C power but this one claims to have TB3 compatibility (and was in use during the above test). The magnet isn't as strong as I would like and moving the cable (which currently sticks straight out) can easily break the connection.

[Steerpike]

The Magnetic connector is currently showing as not available, sadly; you got lucky!   Also, your link to the Lindy Thunderbolt 3 dock seems to be redirecting to a more generic page, at least for me - I get this when I follow it - USB Docking Stations & Port Replicators | LINDY UK Is your device one of the 7 items shown on the page I'm linking to?